Download National Pollutant Inventory - User Guide for NPI Online Reporting

8
User Guide Glossary
Advisory message
these messages are generated when there is a
potential error in the data you have entered.
When acknowledged and commented on advisory
messages are removed or the comment is recorded.
Coordinator
can enter all elements of an NPI report, and can submit
(certify) the report. Facility or company personnel can
be coordinators.
Emission
the release of an NPI substance to the environment
whether in pure form or contained in other matter
and/or in solid, liquid or gaseous form.
Air emissions – point source = air emissions to the
atmosphere through a single point such as a vent or
stack (a facility can often have many separate point
sources).
Air emissions – fugitive emissions = air emission not
released via a stack or vent (examples dust from
stockpiles, volatilisation of vapour from vats, open
vessels, spills and materials handling).
Water emissions = discharges to surface waters such
as lakes, rivers, dams and estuaries, coastal or marine
waters and stormwater runoff.
Land emissions = substance emissions onto a facility’s
site including solid wastes, slurries and sediments.
Emissions to land from spills, leaks, storage and
distribution of materials containing NPI substances may
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also occur. Unintentional leaks and spills must also be
estimated and reported.
EET
Emission Estimation Technique
Emission data
an estimate of the amount of a substance emitted in a
reporting period that identifies the medium to which the
substance was discharged – air, land or water; and the
estimation technique used.
Facility
any building, land or offshore site from which an NPI
substance may be emitted, together with any
machinery, plant, appliance, equipment, implement, tool
or other item used in connection with any activity
carried out.
Facility ID
a unique alphanumeric given to your facility by
your jurisdiction to identify the facility from other
facilities in your jurisdiction e.g. ACT001.
Facility Process Diagram a flowchart of your facility process that identifies raw
inputs into the facility; products and by-products
manufactured on the site and all emission sources.
Jurisdiction
the Commonwealth, a participating State or a
participating Territory.
NPI
National Pollutant Inventory a publicly available Internet
database of emissions of substances from industrial
and non-industrial sources in Australia.
Reporter
can enter the basic elements of an NPI report, however
they cannot submit (certify) the report. Consultants or
contractors are restricted to reporter level access.
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Reporting Period
One year, usually a financial year beginning 1 July and
ending 30 June. It can be a calendar year or another 12
month timeframe.
Reporting thresholds
If a facility uses more than 10 tonnes of selected NPI
substances, or consumes more than a specified
amount of energy, or emits more than a certain amount
of total nitrogen or total phosphorus to water, then it is
required to estimate and report its emissions. Only
those facilities that exceed certain thresholds appear on
the NPI.
Reporting Year
The Reporting Year is the financial year that the
reporting period finishes in. For example, if your facility
reports each calendar year, then for the Calendar Year
2007 the end date is 31 December 2007. As this date
falls in the 2007/2008 Financial Year, the Reporting
Year is 2007/2008.
Tab
As can be seen in this screen shot, in the NPI Online
Reporting System a tab refers to a round cornered
rectangle near the top of the screen which is very
similar to a card tab inserted in a paper file or a card
index.
Clicking on a tab is a way of navigating between
screens in a part of the system. Only one tab can be
open at a time. This is not to confuse the term tab with
the use of the tab key.
Transfer
(a)
means the transport or movement, on-site or off-site,
of substances to a mandatory reporting transfer
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destination or a voluntary reporting transfer destination;
but;(b) does not include the transport or movement of
substances contained in overburden, waste rock,
uncontaminated soil, uncontaminated sediment, rock
removed in construction or road building, or soil used
for the capping of landfills.
TET
Transfer Estimation Technique
Transfer data
an estimate of the amount of a substance transferred to
a final destination in a reporting period that identifies
the destination to which the substance was transferred;
and the estimation technique used.
Validation message
these messages are generated when there is an error
in the data you have entered. For example when the
reported emission for Total Volatile Organic
Compounds is less than the sum of the individual VOC
emissions a validation message will be generated. You
cannot submit a report until the data has been
corrected. When the data is corrected the validation
messages are removed.
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